


I'll Call You Back

by Kanaynays



Series: Judy Hopps, Ace Police Officer [2]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Aromantic/Asexual Characters, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Platonic Life Partners
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 16:38:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6384244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kanaynays/pseuds/Kanaynays
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes it was difficult to put into words- that Judy loved Nick, but not quite the same way her mother loved her father or Clawhauser loved his sweets- but she tried her best. She just hadn't counted on it being so hard, or that she'd ever have somebody beside her the whole way through.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Call You Back

Judy had always wanted Nick's first meeting with her parents to be an occasion- not a big one, just something small- something to take their minds off the whole predator/prey situation long enough to give them a chance to bond, because as far as her parents had come, Gideon was a fox they'd known his whole life. Nick was a complete stranger.

She talked to him about it, of course.

"They're trying, they really are," she said to him as they waited in line for their breakfast one morning on their way to work. "And they've gotten a _lot_ better- but, you know, they've had time to get used to Gideon and he makes pies and wears overalls. You're sleazy."

Nick gasped dramatically and put a hand to his chest, flattening his ears as far back as they could go. "Miss Hopps, you wound me! I, a scoundrel? Surely not!"

Judy snorted and pulled playfully at his tail, ignoring his hiss and moving forward to give their order. There was no animosity in the confession- while Nick was understandably hurt by the reminder that even the blue of his uniform didn't mean he was accepted everywhere, he was savvy to the world's workings and knew it would take time for Judy's family to get properly used to the idea of leaving the safety of their beloved daughter in the paws of a predator.

He was also aware that no progress would be made without contact and immediately set about enforcing his presence in their minds as often as possible.

Judy wanted to call it annoying, she really did, but the first time Nick tore her phone from her grip during a MuzzleTime conversation with her parents and immediately complimented them on their fine offspring it was all she could do not to collapse with laughter then and there.

"And am I to understand you're the bunnies responsible for the fruit packages Judy gets every fortnight or so?" he asked, holding the phone in one hand and pushing her back with the other. "Because may I just say-" he ducked and scampered off when she made a swipe for the phone, "-without a doubt they are the _finest_ -" moving deftly aside, he managed to trip her when she leaped towards him, "gosh-darnded fruits I ever have consumed in my whole gosh-darnded-OW!"

He dropped the phone when Judy scrambled to her feet and jumped, tugging firmly at his ear and catching the device as it fell. Moving swiftly she retreated to her room and locked the door behind her, immediately collapsing on her bed, still giggling when she heard the sounds of him rummaging loudly through the cupboards in search of her favourite foods just to spite her.

"Judes..." ah, that's right. She returned her attention to her parents immediately, diverting her attention away from Nick and silently mourning the loss of the slice of rhubarb tart she'd been saving for later. She was met with two very quizzical expressions and felt her grin lessen.

"Judy, who was that?" her mother asked, leaning closer to the phone. "Was that- was that your fox friend?"

Judy's heart sped up and she laughed to cover the twitching of her nose. In the other room she heard Nick's rummaging grow quieter, and knew he was listening too. "That's him," she confirmed with a nod, giving them a cautious smile.

Her parents both glanced at each other, then to her pleasant surprise, smiled back. "Seems, uh-" her father struggled to find the words. "Seems a lot less... _mature_ than what you described, Judes."

She heard Nick scoff from the kitchen, followed by the deliberately loud clinking of plates and cutlery. Snorting, she shook her head wryly and replied. "Yeah, that's him. That's Nick."

The next time a parcel arrived for her it was twice as big as it usually was and packed with twice as much fruit- along with a small container of fried crickets and a note instructing Nick not to eat them all at once.

After that, as far as Nick was concerned, it was _on_. Every phone call became a competition to see who could hold on to it the longest- Judy took to calling her parents only when Nick wasn't with her, and had developed a twitch-like response to the sound of her ringtone, reflexively moving to slap away Nick's paw even before he made an attempt. They fell into a pattern- a call would be made, Nick would either steal the phone or pester her the entire time she was talking, and then eventually be kicked out of the room or officially banned from the conversation. And though she was loath to admit it, his antics really _were_ having an effect- her parents quickly stopped being so surprised every time his face appeared in place of their daughter's, and after a while, the whole thing was simply amusing to them. Seeing Nick usually meant Judy was somewhere below-screen trying to tackle him, and seeing Judy usually meant Nick was either locked out or still in the attempt of theft. They spoke with him more, laughed with him more- and every time Judy spoke of him, her fond smile was reflected back at her in the faces of her parents.

Truly it filled her with a joy she hadn't ever felt before.

Then, as time went on, the routine faltered. Nick intruded less and less and Judy felt more comfortable calling her parents without having to constantly be on the lookout for his increasingly deft phone-stealing maneuvers. More and more of her conversations took place with Nick lounging nearby or standing with his tail pressed to her side in a gesture of companionship- and on some occasions even holding the phone for her while she was busy working.

The easy nature of it all made it all the more jarring when, one quiet night after a boring day of work, they asked her nervously if Nick was around.

Raising an eyebrow, her ears swivelled around briefly before returning to their relaxed position. "He's in the shower, why?"

She was in the middle of cooking dinner for them both- a simple vegetarian risotto Nick had been teaching her to make- with the phone propped up nearby on the toaster. She glanced at them just in time to see them exchange glances, then her father shifted a bit and chuckled.

"Well, uh... Jude... Jude the Dude, hehe..."

Judy stiffened. Her father's nickname for her usually meant the conversation was about to get awkward. Her ears flicked around again. The water had stopped. Nick was listening.

"Judy, we wanted to talk about him with you," her mother quickly interjected, recognising her pose. Judy forced herself to relax.

"Oh?" she kept her voice carefully neutral to disguise her building anxiety and was half-tempted to tape her nose down. "What about him?"

A pause, then-

"Judy... well, when you told us you were moving in with a fox, we were worried," her mother admitted. "Now I know that was wrong of us, we shouldn't be judging people before we've met them but, you know, you're our daughter-"

"It's our job to worry about you!" her father interrupted.

"That's right- it's our job and we're going to worry no matter what, but him being a fox was, well..." She bit her lip. "We know Gideon. We didn't know Nick."

Judy sighed, abandoning her cooking and picking up the phone, thinking back to what she'd said to Nick just a few weeks before. "I know," she assured them gently. "But he's sticking with me anyway, so."

They exchanged glances again. "Look, honey," her father began, "we know it doesn't really matter what we think- you're your own bunny and you've got a good history of doing things whether or not we tell you it's a bad idea-"

Judy snorted.

"-but really we just wanted to say we're happy for you."

"I-" Judy's brain halted. ". . . What?"

"He's a good person. A good fox," Stu clarified.

"That's..." Judy felt her smile creep back onto her face. "He is, yeah. I'm... I'm glad. I'm really happy, you guys. He _is_ good." She paused. "It's probably something _he'd_ want to hear too, though."

"Well... Y'know, we also wanted to talk about..." Bonnie was fidgeting. "Judy, rabbits aren't solitary."

Oh.

"When you told us you didn't want to marry anybody we were worried 'cause... Well, rabbits don't do that."

A cold chill crept abruptly down Judy's spine and she shivered. ". . . Oh."

"We just wanted to clarify what the situation is there," her father said, and at that point Judy's smile had all but disappeared.

Her mouth hung open for a moment, her heart pounding and her throat flexing as she worked to get the words out. "He's my friend," she said weakly, suddenly feeling much smaller. "Dad- mom, that hasn't changed. He's my _friend_."

"We just want to make sure you're happy, sweetheart!"

"I _am_ happy!" Judy said firmly, her hands clutching the phone a little too tightly and causing the screen to shake. "Look- I don't really know how else to say it. I'm just- this is the happiest I've ever been. And I'm not saying I didn't love being at home but now- now I've got the job I always _dreamed_ of, and I'm sharing a home with the best friend I've ever had, someone I can- someone I can feel comfortable spending every minute I can with and- he's my _partner_ , you know? But that doesn't make him my lover, or- or- she made a frustrated noise- "or my _husband_ or anything like that, he's just- he's my friend! He's my best friend!"

"Judes- d'ya remember what we talked about a couple years back? 'Cause you never know! This- this might just be what you were really after! Look at your aunt Penny!"

"I've talked to aunt Penny and what she has is a really wonderful thing, but you know what? The love she has for her wife is different. It is! It's _not_ what I want! It's- she's got this person who she kisses, and she cuddles- and she's adopted like three kids with her already and- and me wanting to spend time with Nick is- it's different! It's just different, I don't know- I don't know how to-" she broke off, taking a few seconds to breathe, carefully avoiding their worried gazes. "I... I _love_ spending time with Nick. I love _Nick_. But it's not- it's not that kind of love, I- I just-"

"Sounds like it might be, Judes-"

"You just looked so happy, Judy!" her mother cut in frantically. She sounded upset. "Sweetheart, we just worry you might be over-thinking it a bit!"

"You do do that a lot, Judes."

"Couldn't you just _try_ -"

"No!" Judy exclaimed suddenly. Her heart was racing. She was starting to panic. "This isn't- I don't know what you guys thought I meant when I said I didn't want to date anybody, I really don't- this isn't- I'm-"

She put down the phone, unable to hold it any longer, and buried her face in her hands. _'In and out,'_ she told herself, _'Breathe. Slow Down.'_

"Judy..." her mother again. "Judy, we just love you, honey. We want what's best for you- what will make you happy."

". . . I know you do," she said after a moment. Exhaling slowly, she removed her hands from her face and peered at the screen of her phone. Examined her parents' faces.

"Please just... Please just believe me. You don't have to get it. I don't know how to put it into words, I... Nick's my friend. Can we please leave it at that?"

There was a long moment of silence, then the sound of her parents sighing. "Yeah, Judes. We'll leave it."

She picked up the phone again, her hands still shaking. "I'm happy. I'm honestly so happy, I really am."

"We know," they smiled again, but now it was hesitant, drawn. "He seems like a wonderful friend."

"He really is."

They fell into mindless chatter- How are you? How's the family? How's the farm? How's the city? To Judy it felt like going through the motions. Something heavy had settled in her gut and she was finding it hard to breathe properly, most of her responses confined to simple, basic sentences and noises of agreement. Even after they'd said goodbye she couldn't bring herself to move. She stood at the kitchen counter, phone clutched in her paws, absently running a smooth, fuzzy finger over the surface and dwelling on the conversation.

She couldn't believe she hadn't been able to talk about it.

She _should_ have been able to talk about it.

She thought of Nick and suddenly felt even more sick than before. Were they right? Was she really just in denial? Had she been lying to herself this whole time?

"Ugh."

She pushed herself away from the counter and away from the half-finished meal, into the living room where she found Nick dressed in his usual green shirt and tie and tapping away at his phone.

"Ready to go?" he asked as she approached him.

She nodded.

"Not up for making risotto tonight," she admitted softly. Her voice was scratchy and felt rough in her throat. She wasn't surprised he'd already guessed the change in plans.

"Up for Corgini's?" he asked, rising from his spot and pocketing his phone. At her nod he led the way out of their apartment and to the elevator, keeping close to her the entire time.

They didn't speak to each other until they were at the restaurant. Tucked away in a corner booth, they ordered their respective meals and the instant their waitress was gone Nick leaned on the table surface, staring at the salt shaker.

"Your parents are good people," he told her quietly. "And they really only want the best for you."

Judy went still. "I know."

"They love you a lot, Carrots."

She smiled wryly. Somehow the nickname served to relax her a little. "I know."

"Just because you can't put it into words doesn't make the way you feel any less valid."

Judy looked at him then, feeling her heart clench. "Doesn't it?" she whispered, her voice breaking.

Nick looked back, locking his eyes with hers. "No, it doesn't," he said firmly. "Look, Carrots, it's not easy to talk about. You get nervous, you forget why you're saying it, you start to think maybe it's not that different at all- you just want someone to be there for you, right? _Not_ in a romantic way- just- just to be _with_ you, yeah?"

Judy felt her throat tighten. "Yeah," she responded weakly.

"Well, I can do that. Because I want that too, and as terrifying as it might be right now that they might not ever _get_ it, I really think they'll at least try. I mean look at what's happened already! They tried to give you a fox _taser_ just last year! And now they're telling you to marry one!"

He threw up his hands with a huge grin and Judy had to laugh, rubbing her eyes and ducking under the table to kick at one of his feet. When she came back up it was to the sight of one of his rare, _true_ smiles, and suddenly she felt three times lighter.

"Thanks, Nick."

He winked in response. "Any time, dumb bunny."

"Dumber fox."

When the next parcel arrived at their apartment the next week it came with the usual fruit, a container of roasted beetles, and two blue friendship bracelets. _'To match your uniforms.'_

"Either this one was meant for your neck, or your parents are taking a step in the right direction," Nick joked, holding up the larger one before tying it about his wrist and comparing it to his blue shirt. "How do I look?"

She opened her mouth to retort with something snarky, then paused, thinking better of it. "You look good," she said instead, with as much sincerity as she could. She tied her own and held it up against his, breathing out a long, slow sigh.

"Ready to go?" he asked her, and she nodded, shooting him a grin.

"Those criminals aren't gonna catch themselves," she replied, hurrying to hold open the door for him.

He rolled his eyes. "You bunnies, so _cheesy_."

"You know you love me."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, I do."

He passed through the door and waited, and was by her side the whole way there.

**Author's Note:**

> So I looked up fox facts to see whether or not the whole "Nick can overhear a phone conversation from another room" thing would work and hot damn! Foxes have some crazy good hearing!!!
> 
> Congratulations go to Zootopia for being the first fandom I've ever written more than one fic for! This one's a bit longer, but after all the comments I got on my last fic I absolutely knew I had to continue, and I genuinely hope this fic has lived up to at least a few of your expectations! I've got another one planned already- finally an actual ~meet the parents in person~ fic, and that one will be from Nick's point of view which, hopefully, will be somewhat different to how Judy's feels.
> 
> Thanks for reading!! ^-^


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